Arizona weekly enterprise., 1887-12-03
ARIZONA WEEKLY ENTERPRISE.
:. DECEMBER 3. 1887
LIFE IN BRAZILIAN FORESTS.
A Naturalist Tells of His Adventures and
 His OrnitholoricaI Trensures.

A Naturalist Tells of His Adventures and
 His Ornithological Treasures.
 Clarence B. Riker, member of the American Ornithological society, has just returned from two months of bug and bird hunting in the forests of Brazil. My wife and I, " said Mr. Riker to a re- porter, "went by steamer from here to Para at the mouth of tine Amazon. There we changed to a smaller steamboat that took us up the river 500 miles to San tarem. There we took canoes and were padded by Indian boys through miles of narrow channels that wind in and out through vast region of flooded forest. After we had gone as far as we could in canoes, an OK cart was backed hub deep into the water, and we transferred our selves and baggage into it. We then rode along well beaten forest paths, ex- tending for miles through magnificent timber. The dense foliage made per feet shade, and the paths were as hard as our roads.
 "When we arrived at the plantation which we had decided to make our head quarters, we found a comfortable house with concrete walls, tiled roof and ham, mock beds. The planters have fowls, swine and cattle, and raise the principal vegetables and fruits that we have. The seeds of the palm tree are made into vari- ous nourishing dishes. One of the staple articles of food Is a fish called pirarucu. It is dried for market and resembles cod fish. The natives live almost entirely on bananas and farinha, coarse meal made from the nandioca root. Many of the planters raise sugar cane, and from it make whisky to supply to the rubber gatherers. The fermented juiey of the palm is another drink used by the Rtives, and delicious wine is made from fruit called caiu, and also from jul, e ex- tracted from the pulp surroundihs the cocoa bean. This drink is univen'ally liked by foreigners, but for the others me must acquire the taste.
 'There are very few mosquitoes, b, there are some things worse. The mo coene, an almost microscopic insect, clings to the flesh, and, if not removed by rum or lemon juice, causes severe ir- ritation. Large vampire bats often fly in one's face at night. They are four times the size of our bats. Many na- tives bear scars from their teeth.
 "Tarantulas were frequently seen on the veranda, and sometimes in the house. Their bite is not considered deadly. but the minute hairs with which their barb is covered are poisonous, and cause terri ble irritation. If we left the doors of the house open at night, large toads, weigh | ing pound and half apiece, would hop in. One night my wife was awakened | by hearing some animal moving in the room. We could see nothing, but from the sound we were sure that it must be tiger or, at least, a wildcat. On strik- ing light, it turned out to be possum.
 "Alligators were plentiful in the brook near the house, and a deadly snake called siracucu is frequently found crouching in the paths of the forest. We captured a boa constructor twenty-two feet long. Rattlesnakes are numerous on the campos or open plains.
 Leaving my wife at the plantations, I made excursions into the forest in search of birds and insects. I generally went with three or four other Americans and several Indian guides. At night the h. dians would make a thatched house out of palm leaves. When thirsty we would cut the root of the tapereba, which is hol- low and contains nearly pint of water. Game was plenty. There were wild hogs, tapir, monkeys, wild turkeys, peccaries and great variety of birds. We fre- quently saw the tracks of jaguars near our hut, but did not meet any of them. To obtain some rare specimens of birds we penetrated far into the depths of the forest. 1 measured one palm leaf and found it to be forty feet in length. There were rosewood, mahogany and many woods not found elsewhere. In the flooded districts I saw sloths hanging upside down and feeding on the leaves of trees. Numerous butterflies, brightly colored, and birds with brilliant plumage abound And on the banks of the rivers at evening I saw thousands of white egrets. 1 was very successful in collecting, as I brought back over 300 birds, LOGO insects anC the skeletons of ant eaters, sloths, Ameri can tigers, serpents and many other ami mals. l obtained bow and five arrows captured in a fight between rubber pack CTS and a tribe of Parintintin Indians who had attacked them. These Indians are perfectly wild, and live in the deel recesses of the forest. They are canni bals. l also brought home young tiger Its mother was shot while feeding on al OK which she had killed. To keep tn, tiger company brought large coatia O spider monkey. He was caught whel ] young, and is now entirely domesti cated. New York Mail and Express.
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